Hope and Redemption
by darkmasta92
Summary: She'd come to expect many things from him, but never once did she consider guilt. He had come to terms with his sentence, only to discover that hope shines brightest in the darkness and no man was ever so dark as him. The road to redemption is rough, though one need not travel it alone.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

_Guilt_, he decided, _It must be guilt_.

He'd been struggling with the gnawing sensation in his stomach, the ache in his chest. The nausea that threatened to his knees to the cold, stone floor of his cell.

Hans had been stuck here waiting for the past week. And when his bitterness had worn out his mind had become as blank as the grey walls of his prison.

Thoughts rushed to fill it. They were not pleasant thoughts.

_Oh Hans..._ He was 9, on the floor, shivering and bruised. _Are you hurt, little brother?_ A wicked gleam shone in Harold's eyes.

Hans clenched his teeth, forming his tiny hands into useless little balls. A dangerous thing clutched at his core and he knew it to be hate. He welcomed it.

_Are you crying?_ His mouth held a smirk. In the back of his mind Hans realized where he had gotten his own from.

_Like a little girl!_ laughed Henry. Another one, younger than the other. Harold's shadow.

He came back to himself long enough to realize that the sticky fluid beneath his hands was his own blood. He had fallen prostrate on the floor, had bitten his lips so hard that his redness still made a dull _tap _like pebbles upon water.

He took a shaky breath and fell back against a wall.

_What have I done?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Anna walked along the halls of Arendelle Castle with a slight frown on her face. Her eyes were lost in focus, her thoughts directed inwards. Anyone in the castle would have seen this as odd; the bubbly young princess was always smiling and talking and running into anything and anyone in her way. But not many travelled the halls she now walked.

_Why am I doing this? _she thought worriedly, he_'s a murderer!_

_Except he isn't, not really. He didn't actually murder anyone…_

_That's not the point! _She argued.

_Then why are you visiting him?_ She countered, exasperated.

She had been contemplating going back to the library, to her room, _anywhere_ but where she was going now, but before she knew it she found herself standing in front of her destination.

The guard glanced, bowed. "Your Highness." A slight tilt to his brows signaled confusion.

"Princess Anna, with respect, this is not the place for a-"

"Please, just let me through," she said quickly, her mind still half focused inwards.

"I'll have to accompany you, Your Highness. Some of the prisoners can be-"

"Yes, yes." Her attention finally snapped to the guard and the metal door standing in front of her, intimidating in its look and purpose.

With the twist of a key the guard dragged the door open and politely gestured for Anna to enter.

She hesitated, then stepped forward into the dimly lit confines of the prison.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The sound had snapped him out of his reverie. _The door…? But food shouldn't be served for at least another 6 hours…_

Over the days he had watched how light had drifted in through his tiny cell window high above, how its position and brightness would roughly signify the time of day. It had been something to keep him occupied at least.

"Hans." A sharp voice, venomous and commanding.

And suddenly he was back, 13 years old, ears ringing from the slap his mother had dealt him. _Hans_, her voice hateful, commanding, _you apologize to your brother_. He watched false tears stream down Harold's face, the familiar smirk when his mother turned her back on him. _I'll be important one day, _his brother hissed, _remember that. I'll be important and you'll be here, the thirteenth, the spare...__  
_

The spare.

Hans flinched as if struck. Eyes clenched tightly shut he shifted slightly, away from the voice coming from the bars of his cell.

Anna's eyebrows lifted in surprise. Her resolute frown shifted uncertainly before it steadied as before.

"Look at me Hans." She slightly raised her voice, tone still hostile.

Hans looked at her from where he was sitting. And when he settled those hazel-green eyes upon her blue ones the conflict in her mind was abruptly silenced.

_His eyes,_ she thought numbly, _his eyes look... different._ _  
_

"Anna," he spoke wearily, his voice a pale husk.

She snapped back into focus, closing a mouth that had been hesitantly hanging open. _I won't be fooled. Not again.__  
_

"That's Princess Anna to you, _criminal,_" she said sharply.

"Of course," he breathed, "Princess Anna." That same husk to his tone, that odd emptiness.

His eyes fell onto his boots, black and worn. He didn't seem to notice; _no_, Anna thought, _he doesn't seem to care.__  
_

A pregnant pause filled the room, silence tense and sharp as broken glass. Anna was secretly glad he had looked down long enough for her to regain her composure.

"Why?" She asked, and she had truly tried to make her voice cold and regal just like her sister would have, just like it _should_ be. But she was never good at hiding anything and so her question was as much a thing of curiosity as it was of hurt.

She could sense that Hans picked up on it. His eyes shifted to meet hers and she thought they held a strange kind of pain, not just from his nose, broken and poorly mended by her punch days ago, nor solely from the blood dripping from…

Blood?

_Blood!_ She thought, panicking. "Guards!"

The guard that had been respectfully standing out of view was suddenly by her. "Your Highness?"

"Bring the physician at once!" She knew her voice was shaky and loud. She didn't care. She hated the sight of blood and the adrenaline running through her veins made her movements sharp and jerky.

The guard took a hesitant look at Hans and glanced back at her. Noting her state he spoke,

"At once, Your Highness."

She took one last look at Hans, seeing a faint confusion glance over his features. He still looked weak and frail, more pale than usual. _There's more affecting him than just the blood… _she thought as she hurriedly made her exit.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

When Hans next awoke it was to the sound of music.

_What? _ He thought blearily, _where am I?_

He kept his eyelids closed, focusing on his other senses. Softness below him, the smell of lavender, a light birdsong…_that must have been the music. _

He was not in prison.

He finally mustered up the courage to open his eyes. He was met by intricate carvings on the ceiling above him, gentle swirls of purple and blue.

A window was open to let in a cool summer breeze. Birds chirped on the balcony's railing.

The sights he took in raised more questions than they answered.

_What happened..?_ He closed his eyes once more, focusing on the last thing he remembered.

_A man came into the cell… a physician?_ He thought back, remembering how tired he had felt, how he had tried desperately to stay awake while the physician patched up his lip…

"You're awake then," said a cool voice, and he shivered slightly in recognition.

He broke from his quiet introspection, realizing that he had subconsciously pulled himself into a sitting position.

His eyes fell onto a slim figure standing by the door. All grace and cold beauty, Queen Elsa slowly made her way into a chair placed an appropriate distance from the bed.

He cleared his throat, though his voice still came out raspy.

"I didn't expect to see you again, Your Majesty."

She studied him for a moment, expressionless. Long enough for him to avert his eyes and begin to feel uncomfortable. Long enough to recall that day he wished he could forget, with his hands gripping cold steel and her desolate form beneath him…

She finally broke the silence. "You caught a fever, Hans. Prison was not kind. Though I suppose it's as much as you deserve."

He clenched his teeth. _I should have known_. "What is to become of me, now, Your Majesty?" He spoke through gritted teeth, though his words were civil enough. He was a prince, after all.

"You're still a criminal, Hans, sick or otherwise." In her voice he could hear a sliver of anger, though none of it betrayed her face.

Hans felt his hands dig into the soft sheets below him. _Calm, Hans. _

"However… prison may not be the best place for you to serve your penance."

He blinked, looking up as the tension bled out of his body. _No way._

"…What?" He said, confused. "What else is there for me?"

"We have received a letter from your family. They have exiled you; you are no longer _Prince_ Hans, nor are you of the Southern Isles." Her voice, calm and cool, nonetheless gained a measure of _give_ as she pronounced what he had been dreading ever since he was dumped in that miserly prison cell.

The softness of her tone didn't help. It struck him like a slap.

Whatever stiffness he still carried in his posture left him then, but what replaced it was worse. He sagged, as if in those few seconds he had aged years. _Were you really expecting anything else?_ He didn't know what he had expected… he didn't know anything other than the anger that started to burn at his core. A part of him, the tiny part that sometimes whispered to him with echoes of kindness, turned away. A larger part welcomed the heat with a bloody smile.

"Hans?" He looked again, and there was something behind the Queen's gaze. Was that… pity? Impossible.

He couldn't help but chuckle, and he knew it was a dark thing. "And why are _you _here, _Queen Elsa?_" he spat. "Come to taunt me, make me pay? Does this please you_?_" And as he spoke he found it harder to see the blur that had begun to spring in his eyes. "Happy now, _Your Majesty?!" _Someone was shouting, a voice full of scarred rage. He wondered why it sounded so much like him, wondered as the world became a wet blur around his red tinted vision

"Hans!" He heard that voice again, and there was something like worry in it, but suddenly he was too tired, too _weary_ to care. When the darkness came for him this time, he welcomed it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Elsa!"

She had no time to prepare for the flurry coming her way. Before she knew it her arms were full of her happy, bumbling little sister.

She couldn't help but smile. "Anna," she breathed fondly. She pulled back to look at her. "How are you?"

"Oh, Elsa, Kristoff and I just came back from another harvest, and we got to ride in his new sled, and did I tell you about his new sled? Because it's all nice and shiny and matches so well with his new fancy title and-"

"Anna," Elsa said drily. "I gave him that sled. And the title."

"Oh." Anna said, blushing. "Right."

Elsa chuckled softly. The Great Thaw had brought joy to everyone, and ever since the sisters held each other back on that ship for the first time in what seemed like forever they had been nearly inseparable.

Well, it would be more accurate to say that Anna was inseparable from Elsa. The Queen had more than enough work to keep her occupied.

The ship brought her mind back to the unpleasant issue she was contemplating before Anna had burst into her study.

"Elsa?" Anna said, concerned. "Are you okay?"

She hadn't realized that she had drifted into space, absently looking out the window as the summer sun lighted the city. She turned back to her sister, her manner suddenly serious.

"Anna, why did you visit Hans yesterday?"

Anna looked down and bit her lip. She gazed uncertainly at the hem of her dress before she looked up to meet Ela's gentle, inquiring eyes.

"I- I don't know, really. I wanted to, you know, _know_ why he did those horrible things. He just seemed so, I don't know, so _sincere_ when I met him, a-and…"

"Hey," Elsa's voice softly interrupted, "It's okay."

"It's not okay though! He tried to kill me, he _almost _killed you and-"

"Anna, it's over," Elsa's voice soothed, "You don't have to worry anymore." She smiled, the warmth of her expression at odds with the refreshing coolness of her hands. "He can't hurt us."

"Yeah…" Anna smiled sheepishly. "I guess so. Where is he, anyway? I thought I saw him taken away from that nasty dungeon."

Elsa's smile faded. "That's another thing. He's… in one of the unused rooms. He caught a fever down there, and he's still in bed, recovering."

Anna's grip on Elsa's arm abruptly tightened to the point at which Elsa released a soft, pained sound. Anna immediately unclenched her hands.

"Elsa! I'm so sorry! Are you okay? I didn't mean to-"

"Anna!" She laughed. "I'm fine."

Anna looked at her sister, uncertain. "But what are you going to do, Elsa? It's _Hans_."

Elsa turned to the window once more, arms drifting to the counter. "I visited him, when-"

"What?! Elsa, you can't visit him! He's-"

"Anna, you visited him too." Elsa cut in, exasperated.

"Oh." She flushed a deeper shade of crimson. "R-right."

"Anyway," Elsa continued, "I visited him, and he acted….strange. Withdrawn. And when I told him about his exile, he got so upset he blacked out again."

"Well," Anna said, "He did just get rejected by his whole family. I mean, that must be pretty horrible. Not that he doesn't deserve to feel horrible…"

She drifted off. Elsa turned to look at Anna curiously. _People usually have to get her to stop talking._

"Anna?"

"I noticed something too, Elsa," she finally admitted, "When I visited him, down there in the dungeon, he seemed…worn out. Like he just didn't care anymore….about anything."

Elsa nodded, more surprised at Anna's willingness to admit this than at Han's behavior.

"What are you going to do, Elsa?" Anna asked again, uncertainty rendering her voice soft.

She stayed silent. Just as Anna was convinced she wouldn't answer Elsa replied.

"Something you won't like."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

After three days the fever broke. Hans wished he could say he was glad but well, that wouldn't be true.

_Back to prison I suppose. _He sighed resignedly. The birds happily chirping through the open window only served to remind him what he would soon be missing.

He had woken in a haze, sunbeams making patterns through the lazy dust in his room. _His room_. He smiled bitterly. _Come on, Hans. You don't belong here._

The previous three days had been taxing on him. The sun had jabbed at his eyes during the day while darkness had brought its own terrors.

Fever dreams. Nightmares. His illness had brought him back to memories he constantly tried to turn his back on, and he would wake thrashing and screaming weakly in the darkness.

_Footsteps, near and unwelcome. A cuff to the back of his head, a sneer. "Try not to screw up, this time." Eyes to the front, knuckles white and gripping against his horse's reins…_

He opened eyes that had been tightly shut. His hands had clawed jagged impressions into the mattress. He took in a shuddering breath.

"Sir?"

His eyes wandered the room until they settled upon a small, seated figure by the bed. The physician?

"How are you feeling, sir?"

Hans blinked away the slight blurriness clouding his vision. It was when he was about to speak that he realized how thirsty he was.

"Water." He said hoarsely.

The physician rose and filled a glass of water lying on the bed stand. Hans took the glass and quickly drained it. He found his grip strong enough to hold it on his own.

"Thank you." He said eventually.

The physician blinked in surprise, quickly masked. "How are you feeling?" He asked again.

"Stronger." He did feel stronger. Not strong by any means, but confident enough to stand.

"Do you feel up to walking?"

"I think so." He rose slowly, bed creaking as if to protest his leaving. _I'm not looking forward to going back either, _he thought ruefully.

Getting to his feet he eyed the man. "Where are the guards?"

The physician frowned. "What?"

"The guards… to take me back. Where are they?"

"Back?" The physician seemed determined to play the fool. "Back where?"

He was getting tired of this. "Back to my cell, man, where else? I'm not in the mood for games."

The man's brows smoothed in realization. His mouth made a silent _ah._

"You're not going back, sir."

Hans had been in the middle of dressing when he froze. He recalled the Queen's visit, the words his fever dreams had caused him to forget for days. "_Prison may not be the best place for you to serve your penance."_

"What?" He finally managed, voice soft and hoarse as silk over gravel. Did he dare hope?

"Queen's orders, sir. You're to report to the castle barracks as soon as you're ready."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"You're absolutely right."

Elsa looked up from her dinner, surprised. "I am?"

Anna glanced from her food to her sister, eyes half lidded. "Yep. I still don't like it."

Elsa groaned. _Not this again_. "Anna, have you listened to a word I've said since?"

Before Anna could respond Kristoff spoke up from beside her. "Anna, as much as I hate the dirt bag, your sister knows what she's doing." He put a protective arm around her. "Besides, I won't let him get within a _mile_ of you."

Anna took him in with shining eyes. He warmly returned her smile.

The love those two shared set Elsa's heart at ease. It was something of beauty; not the false kind so often mistaken for beauty by the superficial. No, it was pure, and _good_. A thing to be grateful for.

But when Anna finally turned back to her she could see the uncertainty lingering in her eyes.

"But Elsa…" She bit her lip. "Are you sure? Hans is dangerous, and getting him into the guard…"

Elsa reached across the table to grasp her sister's hands. Ungloved, she welcomed the warmth as Anna instinctively laced her fingers with her own.

"Anna, he'll be under special supervision. Not to mention the training he'll have to go through; he'll probably be too tired to even _think_ about harming Arendelle again. And he won't even be in the castle, I've made sure of that." She smiled reassuringly.

The truth was that she hadn't known _what _to do with Hans. They couldn't just toss him back into prison only to bring him back every time he had a fever. They couldn't dump him onto the Southern Isles after news of his exile. And they _definitely _weren't going to execute him. They'd have been no better than him if that were the case.

So she had grasped the only solution that sprung to mind; a job.

The edges of Kristoff's lips pulled into a smirk. "Don't worry, fiestypants. You can always walk up to him and punch him again if you don't feel good. Hey, I might even join you this time!"

Anna laughed, pulling her hands back to slap him playfully on the arm. "Don't forget Sven, I'm sure he has just as much…."

Elsa smiled as they continued their banter, but she couldn't help but notice the odd feeling swirling in her stomach. She tried to pretend the glass she held was just as cold as it was a minute ago.

_I really hope I don't regret this._

* * *

_Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap._

Hans' foot moved impatiently against the barracks' floor.

Other than the scribbling of quill on paper that was the only sound in the room. Though he felt the glares of the two guards behind him boring into his skull so strongly he could practically hear their thoughts.

_Traitor._

_Criminal._

_Filth. _

He clenched and unclenched his teeth, a tick periodically appearing in the shadows of his cheeks. He almost wished he were back in his cell. Almost.

"Name?" The bespectacled old man in front of him finally spoke. His voice sounded as reedy and thin as the papers he worked with.

"Hans of…" A painful pause. "Just Hans." He muttered.

_Scribble._

"Age?"

"22." _Not that I feel it right now. _

"Any prior experience?"

"I've learned to hold a sword from my father's royal tutor."

At this the man raised his eyes over his glasses, brows slightly arched. Before he went back to his work Hans thought he could hear a muttered "Rich kids."

The man final set his quill aside, raising his head to pin him with his dark, beady eyes.

"Enter door to the right," he said, "You'll find your bunk and equipment chest at post number 11." He then proceeded to ignore Hans as if he had never existed.

Hans finally moved from his position, his boots making a dull _tap_ each time he stepped. Surprised that they weren't echoed, he briefly threw a look over his shoulder to find that the guards hadn't followed. Not that they didn't want to; he could tell from their faces that they trusted him just as much as a coiled snake.

Reaching the door, he entered to find an empty two rows of bunks lining the room, each with a chest at the end.

Seeing that the room was empty, he sighed in relief. Making his way to bunk 11, he began changing into his trainee equipment when the door slammed open.

"I swear, if the captain keeps this up…" The rough voice trailed off. Hans turned to see a gruff, brawny man eyeing him from the doorway. They weren't friendly eyes.

"Well I'll be damned." A terrible smile slow worked its way across his face as more trainees entered behind him. "If it isn't the damned traitor."


	8. Chapter 8

**Ch.8**

The warm light of the desk candle made a shadowed mockery of her hand as she signed the latest trade agreement with the Kingdom of Corona. Elsa knew that with their trade relations with Weselton severed (_good riddance) _Arendelle would need Corona's aid in maintaining prosperity.

That didn't make it any less boring.

She yawned widely (_how very Queenly, _she thought with irony) as she ran a hand through her unbraided hair. At the end of the day, Queenly duties such as this one made her wish for company more than anything, which was why her eyes widened slightly in excitement as a polite knock resounded on her door.

After quickly pulling on a thick velvet robe and making some small adjustments to her hair, she called softly, "Enter."

The familiar leathery face of her Captain of the Guard made itself known to the candlelight. "You requested my presence, Your Majesty?" His rough, husky voice told the story of a thousand days of drilling guardsmen and giving orders. It was soft now however.

"Hannik." She smiled warmly. "You know you can call me Elsa. You've known me since I was in diapers." She'd never dare speak so openly with anyone else, but Hannik has been there since the beginning. On his occasional patrols around the castle halls he'd stop by her door whenever he heard her faint, muffled cries and tell her wondrous stories. As an isolated child his gentle words would be the arms to hold her tight in her lonely bed.

His soft smile revealed the crow's feet at the corners of his eyes. "As you say, Your Majesty."

She gave a quiet laugh. That was the Hannik she knew.

"Hannik, I know that you've received a new recruit recently."

His smile slowly faded. "Your Majesty, are you sure-"He immediately cut off as he noticed the slight frost layering starting to cover her desk. Elsa looked down in surprise, quickly dissipating it.

"I'm sorry Hannik. It's just... I can never be sure about something like this, but I believe it's the best solution available." _Well, I hope._

He nodded understandingly. _He's probably had to make some tough decisions too, considering his job,_ Elsa thought absently.

"Of course Your Majesty. But keep in mind that his crime will be with him for the rest of his life, as will it's memory among the people of Arendelle. I worry for his safety among the Guard."

She frowned faintly before realization smoothened her expression. "You worry his past crimes will be held against him during training."

"I know it will," he said softly. His eyes had fallen on some distance between them though their focus seemed even further away. Oddly, Elsa thought his voice carried a hint of pain. She was about the mention it when she decided against it. _We all have our secrets._

She walked forward eventually standing near enough that it would have been rude for him not to meet her eyes with his own.

"Hennik, I'm not completely aware of the relationship between a captain and his men. But please, _please_, just try to keep him safe."

Hennik silently met her earnest gaze for a while longer, and though his face was carefully blank she could just _feel_ him thinking-_why does she care so much for what happens to this… traitor?_

She wished she knew herself. It had something to do with that day she visited him as he lay weak in the sunlight. The day she saw him for perhaps what he truly was, at that moment at least-a broken man.

And it had something to do with the swirling feeling in her stomach, the one that wouldn't leave her alone no matter how many monotonous trade agreements she signed.

He finally bowed his head; it seemed both a nod of agreement and a gesture of respect.

"Okay, Elsa," he spoke, quiet and serious, "I'll do what I can." 


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Faster, men! If I see even one of you walk, you'll all be running an extra five laps!"

Captain Hannik Aas' grating voice blared through the air like a trumpet. That along with the weight of the summer sun bearing down on his soaking back made Hans question for the 100th time what exactly he was doing here.

They were at a large training field, a section of the castle surrounded by stone walls. At the center a series of obstacles formed a large circle, each trainee having to run laps while bypassing them.

Panting he came across a short wall and quickly took three steps to vault over it. After the 20th time circling the training circuit his running form had dissolved into something more akin to a seizure. Limbs flailing, breaths heaving in thick gulps of air, he only barely noticed when he passed another trainee who seemed in even worse condition than he was.

Mikkel wasn't walking but whatever he _was_ doing didn't resemble much of a run either. It was only because he seemed on the verge of collapse that Hans slowed his pace to match.

"Come on, Mikkel. Last lap. You can do it," Hans managed in between pants.

Mikkel's dark eyes briefly darted to him before they resumed their study of the ground. His nod of thanks was nearly indistinguishable from the continual bobbing of his head.

Mikkel was a skinny man, almost gaunt, with thick dark hair and a hunched walk that spoke of a troubled past. Hans made it a point to help him whenever he could; he was the only one that hadn't participated in the beating Hans had to suffer through on his first day. He could still feel the bruises through his shirt, each clammy press of the fabric against them causing an echoing pain of the blows that had created them.

He was used to it though. It reminded him of home.

They finally reached the rugged finish line scored into the soil. Mikkel straight out collapsed, falling roughly into Hans' arms. Despite feeling the same urge he had been watching carefully.

"Gotcha," he breathed, "Come on, friend, let's sit for a moment." He propped his friend up, helping him shakily walk to a bench nearby.

"Thank you," Mikkel finally managed, catching his breath. His voice held a timidity that spoke of fear rather than simple quiet, as if afraid to call attention to himself. _His voice, _Hans thought oddly, _It sounds so familiar…_

Hans mentally brushed it off. It would come to him or it wouldn't, he was too tired to care.

"What's this now? The traitor and the coward, quite the mix." The rough voice broke through the air like an unwelcome guest and Hans' weary mind protested its intrusion. The both looked up wearily. _Not this again, not now…_

"Reider," Hans said through gritted teeth, "Lay off."

An ugly grin stretched across Reider's face. The other trainees had begun to notice and Hans knew that if the man continued they would follow his lead like hungry wolves. "Oh? But I was just getting started…"

His steps were steady as he began to move towards where they were sitting. Hans prepared himself to rise and position himself in between Reider and his friend because he _knew_ that Mikkel wouldn't be excluded, not this time. Not since that first day when Reider saw inaction for weakness as the ignorant are wont to do.

"What's going on here?" The captain's sharp voice snapped Reider out of his stride. He had appeared to the side, unnoticed by all three men as the air had grown thick with tension. Reider turned to look at him with a slight confusion playing on his features, as if the captain had rudely interrupted an very interesting conversation.

"Well, sir, the traitor-"

"Has just demonstrated the very function of the Guard by putting the welfare of another in front of his own. On the other hand it seems your sole determination is to make a fool of yourself." The words came out silent but they were spoken harshly enough that all could hear. Hans's eyes were still on Reider, though he could hear faint sounds of laughter coming from the other trainees.

Reider face turned red, a tick appearing on the side of his jaw. "But sir, the traitor-"

"Is a fellow man in your unit and you will refer to him as thus? Am I understood, trainee?" The captain had walked long strides, his voice lowering with menace, until he stood nose to nose with the man.

Hans could tell the brawny trainee held just enough anger to hold the captain's stare for a moment, but upon seeing the cold deadliness that looked back at him his fury cooled like searing metal dumped in water. He took a hasty step back, eyes averted.

"Yes sir," he muttered.

The captain kept his glare in place for several more heartbeats as if to make sure his point was sufficiently nailed home. He then brought his gaze around to the other trainees lingering at the other benches.

"Come around men," he called. The rest of them jogged over until they formed a loose circle around him.

"You've been training for a week now and will all receive your first patrol assignments tomorrow." Several of them sighed in relief. Hans almost did so himself. _As long as I don't have to go through this hell again._

"You will receive your individual assignments in the morning. Training is over for today. Dismissed."

Hans turned to leave with the others when he heard the captain's voice quietly speak, "Hans, stay."

He stayed behind as the other trainees left for the mess hall. Some darted customary hostile glances towards him but other looks he received seemed oddly… thoughtful.

Mikkel rose, hesitating. Hans turned to him. "Go ahead, Mikkel. I'll join you soon," he said softly.

As Mikkel left the captain looked at Hans for a moment, expressionless. "Why?"

Hans knew immediately what he spoke of. "He was on the verge of giving up and-"

"No." The captain said shaking his head. He took a small step forward, directing a piercing gaze into Hans' eyes as if searching for something. "_Why?"_

And suddenly everything fell into place. Why he helped Mikkel, why his voice sounded so familiar.

The voice he heard was his own.

When he was younger he had learnt silence. On the rare occasion in which speech was necessary he learned to speak soft and timid, calling the least amount of attention to himself lest something he said could be later used against him. Mikkel reminded him of the small, cracked thing that lurked in the shadows of his younger days. _Young?_ He thought ruefully. _I'm not even that old._ He sometimes had to remind himself.

"Because no one deserves to be alone," he finally said, "And because everyone deserves a chance." He was surprised at the firmness in his tone.

The captain's eyes stopped their search. _He seems satisfied somehow, _Hans thought strangely, _and something else… understanding. _

"I see." He said simply. "You will be paired with Mikkel on your patrol tomorrow. I have moved your bunk to another location, outside the castle. You will be moving tonight. Dismissed."

Hans frowned in confusion. _Outside the castle?_ He knew it was improper but he needed to know. "With all due respect sir, why am I moving?"

The captain arched a brow as if to acknowledge his impropriety. He answered anyway. "Queen's orders."

Hans looked down and fought to avoid gritting his teeth. _Really?_ He thought, _as if imprisonment, guard training and a beating wasn't enough?_

Somehow he managed to retain his composure. Looking up he spoke, "I will not leave without Mikkel sir. If you move me you must move him." He kept his face carefully blank but his determination leaked out into his voice and made it as unyielding as stone.

The captain simply looked at him, unimpressed. Brow still arched he said, "and just why should I do that?"

"He won't last a day on his own." Hans replied. "You know this sir."

There was a pause in the conversation, a silence to match Hans' held breath. Just as worry began to seethe in his gut the captain answered.

"Very well," He said finally, nodding, "his bunk will be moved near yours. Now, not another word trainee. Dismissed."

Hans nodded, lips straining to hold the smile that threated to split his face in half. He turned and walked away, eager to see the relief in Mikkel's eyes when he told him the news.

He supposed it was ironic that more than anything else at that moment, he felt free.


	10. Chapter 10

Elsa didn't know what her sister had planned for tonight but somehow she knew that they would both regret it.

Anna had been insisting that they both spend more time together ever since Elsa had learnt to truly control her powers. Elsa's duties often had other plans.

Admittedly, she was looking forward to whatever Anna had planned, perhaps even more so than Anna herself. Years of isolation can wear out even the most introspected young lady.

"It'll be fun, Elsa!" Anna had said to her over lunch, her blue eyes shining with merriment.

The sun eventually dipped beneath the horizon and as the day grew darker Elsa was left sitting in her study, wondering if Anna had forgotten.

She needn't worry, however, as Anna redundantly knocked on her open door before rushing in. "Come on, Elsa!" She said enthusiastically. "Get ready, I'm taking you out." Then she left as quickly as she came.

As Elsa stared at her sister's quickly receding back. _C'mon, Elsa, _she thought to herself, _think positive. You won't regret this._

"I'm going to regret this," Elsa spoke into the mug, staring at her reflection in the thick dark liquid.

"C'mon, Elsa! You need to stop worrying, take it easy for once. Y'know, let it go!" She flashed a cheeky smile at her sister.

Elsa turned to her, the grin still on her sister's face. "Anna," she said, "How do you even know about this place? We've never been to a tavern before."

Anna rolled her eyes and took another gulp out of her mug. _How does she even do that? _

"Oh, y'know, Kristoff-"

"Kristoff took you here?!" Elsa cut in, outraged. "Why that-"

"Elsa, it's okay! I asked him to, like, 100 times."

"Oh." She replied sitting back a little. _Well, I can relate._

After some time (and some incessant coaxing from Anna) she tried to relax, to really sit back, and enjoy the drink and her sister's company. To her complete surprise it worked.

She could feel a warm fuzziness engulf her as she contributed her own laughter to the swirling mix of gruff tones and snorts from the bar. Though after a while the lights grew too bright, the sounds too loud.

"I think I'm going to take a walk outside," she said, finally managing a word in the raging storm of her sister's talking.

"Why, are you okay?" There was no hint of laughter on her face now, only concern.

"I'm fine, Anna," she laughed. _How does she change moods so fast? _ "No need to worry, I just need some fresh air."

"Oh, okay." She said, the worry in her expression gone in an instant. "Don't get lost!" She called once Elsa had reached the entrance, the laughter back in her eyes.

Elsa breathed in the chill night air, enjoying the way the moon light played on the cool stone of the city. Her modest shoes made an echoing tap as she walked across the streets, seemingly alone.

"What's this now?" A voice interrupted her thoughts. She looked to the source and found only the darkness of an alley. Looking back she realized she had walked further from the tavern than she thought.

"Hello?" She called, growing anxious.

"Hello," another voice replied. Two forms detached from the shadows of the alley. They were roughly dressed, with scruffy beards and the gait of those who are drunk and neither care nor are fully aware of it.

"What's a pretty young girl like you doing all alone at this time of night?" The first voice said as both forms approached. His teeth gleamed in the darkness.

"S-stay back, please." She held out her hands, calling frost to her fingertips. The two men didn't seem to notice.

"Don't worry sweetling, we'll keep you safe," the other one husked. The first seemed to find this outrageously funny though his snorting laughter didn't get in the way of his stride.

She was backing away now, her heart beating into her ears. And before she knew it she was senselessly gazing up into a dark, starlit sky.

_How beautiful, _she thought, dazed and wondrous. She glanced around confusedly, wondering why she was on the ground.

Her gaze eventually fell onto the figure in front of her and she finally remembered her fear as the figure knelt and slowly rested his dark fingers around her throat.

"Well now…" He didn't finish.

_Thump._ The sound of something falling. The figure looked up, eyes wide.

Something long and narrow knocked him back off her laying form. He scrambled up, reaching for a cudgel at his side. "Back off, or I'll-"

He was interrupted by a bright flash of steel. It slashed down at his head and he was forced to clumsily block with his cudgel.

Elsa could finally make out another form, its back towards her. She tried to focus because something in the way it stood seemed so familiar… _I didn't realize how dark it was._ Oddly enough, she thought it was getting darker still. She absently pressed a hand to her aching temple.

The form finally managed to strike the cudgel out of the man's hands. He quickly stepped in and executed a sharp blow to the head with the blunt end of his sword. The man sunk like a stone.

Shadows clouded Elsa's vision. She thought she could hear faint words spoken in something like concern. The figure rushed to her side and knelt. She could feel faint feathery touches to the side of her face, moving down to her chin, tipping them up so that her eyes met another pair. They widened and that gentle prod at her memory was back but as her sight began to fade to black all Elsa could think was, _what nice green eyes…._


	11. Chapter 11

His eyes flitted around the room; a bunk, a chest, a window. But they always came back to rest upon the gentle figure lying on his bunk.

She was lying on her side, her chest making gentle rises and falls. A single, perfect curl had fallen across her face. In deep sleep her face revealed laugh lines from what must have been a happy childhood and worry lines from times after. And while his gaze gently studied the curve of her check and the stirring of her breath, his mind worked furiously.

_What am I going to do when she wakes up?_ He thought frantically. He had brought her here, knowing that bringing her back to the castle would cause suspicion at best. After some examination he found only light scuffs to her elbows from when she fell. Judging by her scent, she must have passed out from drink.

_Drunk and outside of the castle. What was she thinking? _ He was momentarily taken from his worrying by the telltale creak of the door.

Hans froze like a startled deer, eyes fearfully flitting to the entrance. When Mikkel entered still in uniform he relaxed only slightly. _Great, _he thought wearily, _how the hell am I supposed to explain this?_

Mikkel walked to his bunk opposite to Hans, all but oblivious to their unconscious guest. "Awfully boring, that," he said with a sigh, "I almost wish there was more crime-" He froze with his coat halfway off his torso, and for a brief moment Hans could appreciate the irony. _Both of us frozen. How fitting._

Mikkel said nothing. He stared silently at Elsa's sleeping form, eyes wide in surprise. After a moment he turned an expressionless gaze to his bunkmate, clearly awaiting explanation.

Hans' mouth opened and closed several times. Finally he said simply, "I found her."

His friend arched a brow. "You found her."

Hans nodded slowly. "On the ground."

Mikkel took a moment to digest this. "Is there a reason she's here and not back at the castle?"

Finally something he could answer. He'd only been thinking about it nonstop for the last hour. "I can't, they'll think I did it."

"Ah." He frowned slightly. "Then why don't I take her?"

_Of course! Why didn't I think of that?_ He gave a relieved smile. "Mikkel," he breathed, "that sounds perfect-"

Something instinctual made him stop. He frowned slightly, then turned to look at the sleeping Queen on his bunk. Except she wasn't sleeping anymore; his eyes met wide orbs of cerulean blue.

For a long moment their eyes lay glued to each other. It seemed that a silence blanketed the room as heavy as the snows that lay upon Arendelle during its long winters. After a lifetime her gaze began to flit around, quickly taking in Mikkel, the two bunks, the golden glow of the fireplace. Her stare addressed Hans once more.

"What am I doing in your room?" Her words fluttered through the tense silence and yet it seemed unbroken still.

"You had fallen, Your Majesty," Hans said softly. He was half-afraid of being the one to break the stillness. The other half was reserved for her. "You blacked out. I brought you here."

Behind him he could sense Mikkel quietly making his exit.

Another pause. Yet in this one lay a difference Hans could sense, as if the air itself held its breath. Expectant.

He wondered idly if she could hear his heart beating as loud as he could.

"Thank you," she sighed finally.

He quickly broke his gaze, averted towards the space between them. A long breath made its way out his lips. Relief filled his chest, a gentle smile briefly gracing his face. But it slowly disappeared as he reminded himself that there was the _Queen of Arendelle_ laying on his bunk.

"Y-you must be thirsty." He stammered, remembering his place. He rushed to get his water skin, kneeling beside the Queen.

She smiled gently in gratitude, so perfect in its sincerity it left him momentarily breathless. He could see she was still weak despite having recovered much of her strength, so he placed the skin in her palm as he let his other hand gently support her own as she brought the skin to her lips.

_Warm_… he thought wonderingly. She must have much more control over her powers that he initially thought. When she finished he slowly removed his fingers from hers, wondering at their hesitance. Her fingers briefly followed his as if they wanted them to linger, which he knew was equal parts ridiculous as it was impossible. He had placed the skin back by his bunk by the time he realized how very _close_ they were.

"Hans..," not even a whisper. A breath left to float the air like a feather, a door full of possibilities. It made him shiver for her to speak his name.

He could feel her breathing, sense her in front of him. It was thrilling and yet… comforting. He heard her breath slow until he couldn't hear it at all. All he could think of was how _easy_ it would be to reach out to brush the perfect lock falling across her face, how much he longed to bring his forehead just a little_ closer. _Close enough to touch, enough to…

_Too close, _he thought. _Remember you place, Hans._ With that he quickly made to his feet. His breath steadied and he noticed her eyes open and blink rapidly as if she had woken from a particularly vivid dream. Somehow he knew the moment was broken, that he had been the one to break it. He knew its sharp shards could lay across an ill-chosen word so with his back to hers he silently considered what he would say next. He needed to put some distance between them before things became dangerous.

"You'll probably want to return to the castle as soon as possible. I'll make sure Mikkel escorts you safely back, Your Majesty." He tried to maintain a calm, reasonable tone. Yet he knew it held a faint hint of breathlessness, something that lay on the brink of passion expected yet unsatisfied.

"Of course," she breathed, and in her tone there was a weakness not altogether from her fall.

"Of course," she said louder as if remembering who she was, _what_ she was. "I would gladly appreciate that."

"I'll go get Mikkel," he said quickly before making his way out.

He closed the door behind him and leaned his back heavily on it, breathing out a huge sigh. He needed time to catch his breath after it was so thoroughly stolen a few moments earlier.

Somehow, with that special presence still in his room, he really didn't want to find Mikkel right about now.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

He found Mikkel lounging by one of the city's fountains, idly making ripples across the water.

"So you've settled things back there?" His friend turned to face him.

"Yes."

"So what now?"

A pause. "Now you take her back."

If Hans was ever good at anything, it was hiding his emotions. He'd constructed a mask of sorts, free from any flaw through steady tempering from the days of his youth. And yet he knew he'd given himself away; his pause a touch too long, resignation found in the breathlessness of his tone. Somehow, back in his room, his mask had cracked.

Mikkel's features lay shadowed. His figure still and silent.

"There's something you're not telling me," he said.

He walked over to a nearby bench, sat, and purposely shifted to one side. A silent invitation.

Hans hesitated, but only for a moment. Through their long days in the training yard he had picked up on Mikkel's character, the kind of man he was. In the slight hunch of his shoulders and the timidity of his speech he knew him to be a kindred spirit.

He settled down onto the bench, taking a breath.

He didn't know where to start, so he supposed the beginning was well enough. It was about time, anyway.

He told him everything.

* * *

"Well there you have it," he said with a rueful smile, "Everything you need to know about me. My tragic childhood, my attempt at the throne, that little scene with the queen back there. Everything."

Pale dawn was starting to burn through the sky, making orange flames on the horizon. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew the Queen would be fretting back in his room, but the mental exhaustion from skimming over his life's story dulled most all his head.

He looked over to his friend, not knowing what he would find written on his face. Among the crowds he usually associated with his past would have been met with indifference at best, but Mikkel was cut of a different cloth.

Hans turned to his friend to find a twinkle in his eyes and a rueful smile on his face.

"So you had it all set up for you and you didn't make a move?"

Hans' gaped, staring wordlessly at the grinning man beside him. "I've just spilled my deepest darkest secrets and you're interested in _that?_"

Mikkel shrugged. "Well," he said, "not so dark as you think. Or deep."

"Mikkel, I literally tried to murder the Queen of a faraway nation in some twisted form of payback towards my family. I think that's pretty much as dark as you could get," he said.

Mikkel turned to look over at the fountain, his smile slowly fading. "You'd be surprised." He said almost absentmindedly.

Hans frowned, equal parts confusion and concern. But his friend seemed to shake it off, as if caught dreaming while awake, and before he could ask anything the grin was back.

"Forget about that. She was literally in your bed, Hans! Not even a little kiss?"

"No, Mikkel," he laughed. "What would be the point? She doesn't trust me. Smart of her." His smile was still there, though he knew it must have been a bittersweet thing.

"Maybe you're right." Mikkel moved to stand. "I can't say I have all that much experience in the matter. But the way I see it, these kinds of moments don't come by often, as small as they seem. And if you don't seize them, they will pass you by, and you'll be left wondering how things could have gone differently for the rest of your life." He held out a hand. "Just some food for thought," he grinned.

Hans stared thoughtfully for a moment, then took it.


	13. Chapter 13

Hans couldn't help feel a slight tingle of worry at the sight of his living quarters. He knew the Queen would have expected them back hours ago.

He must have made his anxiousness obvious somehow, as Mikkel turned to glance sideways at him.

"Having second thoughts?" He said, a smirk resting on his lips.

Hans playfully punched his arm. "You ass." He couldn't help smile faintly in return.

They finally reached the door. Despite himself, he took a slow, deep breath before entering.

What he didn't expect to find was the Queen of Arendelle with her hands resting on his Guard jacket. She looked up in shock beside the coat hanger across the room, hands instinctively pulled back in an instant.

It took a second for Hans to realize his mouth was still open. _Say something, you fool._

"Erm…" _Ah, and the master of eloquence reveals himself._

He quickly glanced towards Mikkel, and found him in almost exactly the same posture as he was in. _And his equally graceful companion. _

Luckily his friend recovered fast, seeming to shake himself out of shock. "I will escort you back whenever you're ready, Your Majesty," he said, though his voice had an odd tilt to it, as if still uncertain of what he had just witnessed.

Hans saw Elsa come back to herself, blinking and straightening her posture.

"Of course," she said, "thank you."

In the corner of his vision he was Mikkel bow, glance quickly between them, and slip outside.

Soon it was just the two of them, alone again. The silence grew so awkward he half expected a cricket to start creaking somewhere.

"I hope you're feeling better, Your Majesty," he finally blurted out.

She gave a genuine, if somewhat embarrassed smile. "My head feels a lot better. Thank you for taking care of me."

"Anytime," he said instantly, before he realized how inappropriate it sounded. "I mean- er, of course, yes, glad to…help," he finished lamely.

His eyes had somehow fallen to his boots when he heard the faint, chime-like sound of chuckling from across the room. He looked up in surprise to find the Queen laughing, a single hand delicately covering her mouth. He smiled without realizing it.

"I'm sorry," she said after a breath, which Hans thought was the most absurd thing he'd ever heard. That the Queen should apologize to _him_ for anything seemed alien to him.

"Apologize for nothing," he said, the smile still on his lips.

She walked towards the door, stopping in front of him. They stood there, smiling at each other for a few more moments before he realized with a start that he was blocking the entrance. He quickly moved aside, gesturing towards the door. "After you, Your Majesty."

She looked from him to the door, her eyebrows briefly raising as if surprised to find it there. He saw a look of understanding quickly flash across her face. Oddly enough, he thought he also saw a brief sadness cross her features before she turned to face him again.

"Thank you again, Hans." Though she didn't say it, it felt like goodbye. He glanced down to the floor, frowning faintly at the strange disappointment he felt. Why should he feel disappointed? It's not like he'd ever assume she would stay…

"Of course, Your Majesty," he replied almost absentmindedly, not meeting her eyes. He started to turn away from her, half hoping that she would somehow take the strange feeling away when she left. He was startled to find a soft hand on his arm.

"Please," she said softly, "call me Elsa."

He looked at her, still as a statue. "Elsa," he breathed, as if awestruck by the simplicity of it. He smiled at her, and she smiled back.

"Goodbye, Hans," she said, and as she turned to leave it seemed their fingers lingered against each other before she stepped outside.

"Goodbye, Elsa," he replied, too faint for her to possibly hear, five steps away already.

And yet she looked back, and to Hans that didn't feel like goodbye at all.


End file.
